Category: Blog

It won’t be long now before the water bowls freeze over, so I decided to rent a cube van and move the chickens, the coop, the whole kit and caboodle back to Toronto. The move went smoothly, other than the fact that the hens didn’t want to leave. Once back in Toronto, they happily snacked… Continue reading Moving the flock back to Toronto

Just as we were lulled into a false sense of security, another hen was attacked and killed. It happened right at dusk just before we went to lock them safely into their coop. Once again, we suspect it was the fox. We must have scared it away as it didn’t take the hen with it.… Continue reading No More Blue Eggs

I had been hoping for some time to locate a hen that lays blue eggs. When it comes to livestock, however, it is not like ordering online. You have to know somebody who knows someone who knows somebody with the blue egg-laying hen. After losing 2 hens earlier in the month, I was also hoping… Continue reading New Hens Join the Flock

On July 19th we moved the 3 hens to our country home for their summer vacation. They have since been enjoying the exciting new selection of bugs and grasses – every day has been like a brand new buffet dinner for them. Today, around mid-day we headed outside to give them some treats. We waited… Continue reading A Sad Day

Bird flu is a contagious disease caused by the Influenza A virus. This virus (H5N1) is an aquatic virus which thrives in a wet environment such as a factory farm setting. Backyard chickens are far less likely to become infected and spread this disease: The virus requires a moist environment to survive (manure-saturated factory farms… Continue reading Flu? What Flew?

Due to a series of escapees over the past few days, I decided that wing clipping was in order.  It is not nearly as bad as it sounds. There are 10 flight feathers hidden below the coloured layer of feathers, which you could see when they are fanned out. There is even a colour difference… Continue reading Flying Chickens

These eggs were slow-cooked in a traditional Sephardi manner using onion skins to add colour and a mild flavour. The result? The eggs acquire creamy, pale, buttery yolks and a lovely colour. Sometimes, a tablespoon of ground coffee is added to make the whites browner. In Israel, they are sold by street vendors as “hamine.” … Continue reading Passover Eggs

We followed Andrew’s suggestion, and sited the coop close to the house for the ambient heat in the winter. The skirt of the Eglu sits on a wooden frame (thank you Victor), in order to allow about 8 inches of wood chips above the patio floor. Comfy underfoot and lots of room for scratching. Later,… Continue reading Setting the Eglu up in the city

1 egg per hen per day. And then there were three… Sadly, one of the young girls was “taken” by a fox during broad daylight. No trace; never to be seen again. She would have been in her prime laying age right now.

The two older girls get first pick at the food and bugs of the day. The two young ones are in their coop, hopefully modelling after the older ones’ egg-laying behaviour.